Fresh Tuna Salad with Tropical Fruits

Description:

Colorful tropical fruit contrasts with slightly bitter salad greens and fresh tuna steak to make a refreshing main-dish salad. Good-quality tuna is key to the success of this recipe. The secret to buying fresh fish is to ask to smell it: the tuna should smell briny, clean and fresh, like the ocean on a spring morning, not like the tidal flats on a hot summer afternoon. Do not use fresh pineapple juice, which has an enzyme that "cooks" the fish as it marinates.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons frozen pineapple juice concentrate

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce

2 teaspoons honey

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 pound tuna steak, (about 1 inch thick) (see Note)

Pineapple-Mint Vinaigrette, (recipe follows)

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

4 cups mixed salad greens

1 small head radicchio, cored and shredded (about 2 cups)

1 ripe mango, (about 12 ounces), peeled, pitted and sliced

2 kiwis, peeled and cut into 8 pieces each

Preparation:

1

Whisk pineapple juice concentrate, water, soy sauce, honey and pepper in a small bowl. Place tuna steak in a shallow pan. Pour the marinade over the tuna; turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, turning twice.

2

Meanwhile, make Pineapple-Mint Vinaigrette.

3

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tuna; cook until browned and just opaque in the center, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer tuna to a cutting board; let stand for 5 minutes.

4

Meanwhile, combine greens, radicchio, mango and kiwis in a large bowl. Pour on 1/3 cup of the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Divide salad among 4 plates.

5

Cut tuna into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Top each salad with tuna and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette. Serve immediately.

Tips:

Note: If you prefer your tuna medium-rare, as it is often served in restaurants, use sushi-grade (or sashimi) tuna, if you can find it, and cook it for about 3 minutes per side.